Dutch Minister Visits Fair

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30531, 28 August 1964, Page 12

Dutch Minister Visits Fair

Good transportation, a good work force and plenty of housing made Christchurch attractive to industry, said the Minister for the Netherlands in New Zealand, Mr E. F. M. van Hall, at the New Zealand Industries Fair in Christchurch. A tremendous evolution was going on in New Zealand, he said, especially in the industrial field. “I feel there should be much greater possibilities for co-operation between Dutch industry and New Zealand industry,” he said. He thought the two countries should be able to collaborate in industry to their mutual advantage. Mr van Hall said the change in New Zealand’s way of living had been graphically brought home to him by his returning to New Zealand ih April after 19 years away. He was a Netherlands vice-consul in New Zealand from 1941 to 1945. He remembered New Zealand as a country inflicted with traffic problems and petrol rationing. “Now you have a tremendous upward surge,” he said, Mr van Hall believes that the development of a large and efficient labour force in Christchurch would give the city greater versatility. “The labour force can then be used for other purposes,” he said. Mr van Hall studied a wide variety of New Zealand products and industry displayed at the Industries Fair and the National Food Fair. He was accompanied by his wife, the president of the Canterbury Manufacturers' Association (Mr R. G. Pearce) and the association’s secretary (Mr R. T. Alston). He watched a live demonstration of the testing of a PDL Industries miniature cir-cuit-breaker, which is inten-

ded to provide safe protection for electrical installation. He studied a Canterbury Public Relations Office display showing the Canterbury advantages to industry, complete with panoramic photographs. Canterbury’s Virtues The staffed exhibit tells patrons that Canterbury has good industrial land, low building costs, a plentiful power supply, low cost of living, excellent water supply, expanding distribution services, available servicing industries and a rapidly growing population. Among the information given is “The value of Canterbury manufacturing is more than £lOO million a year, produced in some 2100 factories by more than 33,000 workers,” “Canterbury is the leading sheep producing province in New Zealand” and “Canterbury is New Zealand’s granary.”

“Canterbury is the biggest of all New Zealand’s provinces,” it is announced. Of the attributes of Christchurch city, the display declares: “Christchurch’s growth rate of population is the greatest of all main cities, including Auckland.” The central theme of the display, is the slogan: Canterbury—centre of the scenic south.”

In the background is a multi-coloured enlarged photograph of Mount Cook.